ABSTRACT
Stress-related disorders have been widely recognised. The Department of Health (DoH) estimated that in 1994 80 million working days were lost due to anxiety and depression, at a cost of £5.3 billion. In addition, NHS expenditure on the treatment of anxiety and depression has been estimated at over £1 billion. Stress has been linked to all current Department of Health (Our Healthier Nation) priority areas including cancer, coronary heart disease/stroke, accidents, and mental health/suicide (DoH, 1999).
